The Mind of the Assasin
This is the first book of a trilogy about my sona, Grace. Note: To make it easier, dragon years work similar to human/scavenger years. Imagine Grace as a young teenager. Prologue 5005 A.S, The Old NightWing Kingdom "You... you shouldn't be here..." "I know I shouldn't but you are worth the risk..." "No I am not. Leave, before you get yourself hurt!" "Trust me, I'll be fine." ---- It was blacker than coal. Light did not appear to exist this deep under ground. Trying to breathe was like taking a breath whilst submerged in water, suffocating, the air was so dense you'd find yourself choking each time you inhale. She spread out her blank wings, which were once dancing with a whole rainforest of colours. She missed these colours, not that it made much of a difference in this dark prision, she couldn't even see her own talon if she waved it in front of her nose. Prision. She thought simply. Not like how prisions described in literature, with cells and bars, but still a prision nonetheless. She remembered how she had shocked the guards with her ability to read, the few other RainWings the NightWings had studied were lacking that basic ability, just like all the young dragonets that were born. She closed her dark green eyes, desperate to cling onto that dream she has just woken from. Cometdasher... Cometdasher... Cometdasher.. She wished for Cometdasher to come, even though he shouldn't, he mustn't. He was the one NightWing that cared for her. The one NightWing that spoke to her for reasons other than science. The one NightWing who loved her... She knew it was forbidden, she knew it was punishable, she knew it was unheard of for RainWings and NightWings to love each other, yet she couldn't stop herself being head over tail in love with him. Suddenly, she sensed the presense of another dragon. "Get up, you lazy slug!" A rough, raspy voice ordered. That one fleeting thought that Cometdasher may have come disapeared quicker than her freedom had when she was taken from the Rainforest Kingdom. Cometdasher would never talk to her like that. She did what the voice instructed. Her weak legs barely took her weight, she wobbled a bit, feeling dizzy. She felt the chain around her neck pull itself taunt, and stumbled in the direction she was being pulled. She was far too faint to put up a fight, she would be dragged across the ground if she didn't walk. Finally, after what seemed like an age of wobbling around, the pulling stopped. So did she. She stood still for a while until she felt strong talons roughly push her squarely in between her wings, almost causing her to fall face first on the ground. She was pulled into a room, barely missing falling into a pool of lava. She blinked, adjusting her eyes to the dimly lit surroundings. Three large NightWings stood in front of her. She recongnised the navy female with purple eyes as Lightkiller, and the muscular male with a deep scar running across his snout as Furyscales. She jolted upright as she realised who the third, slightly chubbier dragon one was. Cometdasher, with eyes like blue orbs and that cute silver scale on his cheek. She stopped herself from rushing up to him and nuzzling herself under his large, starry wing. "Please state your name and age." Lightkiller said authoritatively. "I thought you would have learnt that by now." She laughed weakly. Lightkiller just narrowed her eyes. "Do not test us" The NightWing said coldly. "Sorry... My name is M-Mango. I'm 29 years old." She croaked. Furyscales walked over to her and roughly seized her arm, stabbing it with something sharp. Mango fliched and let out a small shriek, trying to pull her arm away. "Moving will just make it hurt more. Mastermind informed us not to do you any lasting damaged, so don't make me snap your arm off." Furyscales huffed. When he took the sharp object out of her arm, she noticed a small vial attached to it, filled with blood. Her blood. Mango tried to catch Cometdashers eye, but he avoided her gaze swiftly. She rubbed her forearm, trying to stop the thin trickle of blood flowing from her punctured vein. "We wish to take a urine sample." Lightkiller stated, handing Mango another vial. She did as they wanted and handed the vial back. "Now follow me." Mango followed, walking into a smaller, cleaner room. Cometdasher passed her a small bowl of rank meat, and a dish of water, he was still avoiding eye contact. She ate the meat, trying and failing to ignore the sharp, foul stench. She looked at the water for a moment, examining her reflection. She was shocked at how skinny she was, she seemed a lot smaller than before. Her scales were white, her face slight grey, her once bright eyes dim and hopeless. She skulled down the water, rather unsatisfied with bow little it quenched her thirst, and how it left an after taste of ash and dirt in her mouth. Lightkiller took the empty bowl and dish out of her talons. "D-Do you need me to do anything else?" Mango asked, sadness filling her words. "Yes, we are required to record how far you can shoot your venom. Cometdasher will conduct this experiment, Furyscales and I will be down at the lab testing your samples." The other two NightWings left the room abrupty, leaving Mango and Cometdasher alone. Cometdasher rushed over to her and wrapped his wings around her. "Look... they're getting suspicious... of us. Remember, whatever happens, I love you. I will love you until my last breath." Cometdasher informed her in his raspy yet soft voice. She felt his wings leave her. "Shoot that target." He said, this time in a more authoritive tone, pointing to a bullseye at the end of hte room. She aimed for the centre circle and hit it, almost effortlessly. She felt Cometdasher's tail intertwine with her's. At that very moment, Lightkiller and Furyscales burst into the room, grabbing Cometdasher and thrusting him away from her. "I knew it!" Lightkiller exclaimed triumphantly. "I knew you two were in love!" "Wait what!? No! That was just an accident, it won't happen again!" Cometdasher yelled, obviously panicking. "Don't bother lying, she wasn't even talking about that. The results came back. The RainWing is pregnant. She wasn't pregnant before she came here. Suspicious, huh? And on top of that we are certain her egg is half NightWing. We know you're the father. We've seen how you two act together. There's no point telling stories." Furyscales said firmly. "No! I swear he's not the father! I swear-" Mango started. "Silence RainWing!" Lightkiller demanded. "You'll just make the situation worse for poor little Comety." Before Mango could say another word, Furyscales grasped her shoulders and bashed her head into the ground. She groaned, and semi-consiously watched the other two NightWings attacking Cometdasher brutally, dragging his limp body out of sighed. She felt blood pouring out her head, she felt it trickle into her eyes, marring whatever else she could see from her vision. The world of red went blank as she sunk into an unconcious world she was unsure whether she was ever going to leave. Chapter One ''5017 A.S, The Rainforest Kingdom '' I closed my eyes, wind rushing in my face, my wings cutting through the air like a knife through butter. I glided through the sky, adrenaline coursing through my veins, feeling at one with the wind. I heard it. The sound of a blade soaring towards me. I spun at the last minute, my eyes still closed. "Good, but too flashy. Don't show off like that. An assassin's downfall can be simply because they were to cocky." I opened one eye to see Deathbringer flying along side me, clutching the dagger. Probably the one that almost sunk into my flesh. I thought. I turn upside down and grin. "Stylish assasins are popular assasins." I declared, laughing. Deathbringer rolled his eyes. "If I didn't know you're not actually this full of yourself, I'd impale you with this knife." He said sarcastically. "Hey, don't be such a hypocrite! We all know you actually think you're the best assasin in Pyrrhia!" I said in mock indignation. Deathbringer's dark eyes flashed. "That's because I am ''the greatest assassin to ever live! Stating facts isn't arrogance." Deathbringer grinned, showing his sharp, slightly yellow teeth. It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Sure, sure. More like assasin with the biggest head." I ducked my head to avoid his talon, which he swung in my direction. "Just stating facts!" "Keep up this cheek, Missy, and I will slit your throat with one of these." The NightWing took out a sharp silver disk from the pouch around his neck. I'd be terrified if I knew my mentor would never dare hurt me, as 1) He wasn't an assassin anymore, and 2) His mate, Queen Glory, would NOT be happy if she found out he had killed an eleven year old he was meant to protect. Why must I be protected? Because those stupid RainWings from the village found it entertaining to bully me for being a hybrid. It began to become dangerous when it was found that these bullies were sneaking poisionous berries in my meals, and putting fire ants in my hamocks. ''One of the many reasons I no longer bother with sun-time. While befriending former assasin to teach me how to kill and avoid being killed may seem overboard, there was really no other option. The NightWings resented me so I couldn't live with them, so living in the RainWing village was my only choice. It wasn't too ''bad, the bullies feared Deathbringer, and therefore stopped making my life a living hell. Now they, just like everyone, stay away from me. Are hybrids really that gross and scary? "Grace? Grace!" I was abruptly awoken from my thoughts by Deathbringer, who was watching her curiously. "What are you thinking about?" The former assassin asked curiosly. "Nothing." I said firmly, hoping my scales were staying purple and black. I knew my thoughts weren't stating anything unknown, but they were still ''my private thoughts. Also, did I really want him knowing all my self doubts? No. "Hmm... I doubt that..." Deathbringer said skeptically, surveying my scales. I knew he was trying to see a weakness, to see if I would let my scales change into whatever emotion I was feeling. Ha, jokes on you Deathbringer! My NightWing genes sure do help me mask my feelings. As if he could read my mind, he asked, "Why do you hide your emotions from everyone? I'm just curious, Glory does it too." Shoot, could he actually read my mind? I think, panicked, until I remembered he wasn't born in the right circumstances, didn't that Moonwatcher dragon say something about getting her abilities because she was born under two full moons? "Because I don't want nosey dragons like you knowing everything I feel." I finally replied, sticking my tounge out and dodging another blow. "You'll thank me one day for giving you quick reflexes." Deathbringer laughed as his fist missed my face. "Nah, I'm just a natural!" I exclaim, allowing my scales to swirl to yellow, gold and violet for a moment, before making them dark purple again. "Aha! Your scales showed your mood! I will always remember this moment, the moment you let your scales go bright and colourful!" Deathbringer stated, eyes flashing with triumph. "I let my scales do that." I sneered. Deathbringer just nodded, obviously in a sarcastic manner. I swatted his snout with my talon, surprised I actually hit him. He was obviously surprised as well. "Wow, treasure that moment, the moment you actually hit the amazing Deathbringer. Hold it close to heart. Now... where are we?" I looked around, we'd flown a bit further than intended, I didn't recognise this part of the forest. "Oops, lucky we realised, if we continued flying we would have made it to the Mud Kingdom my sunfall." Deathbringer turned around and swooped down to the trees below us. I instinctively followed. We made it to the leafy floor. "Hmmm, isn't the NightWing village a couple of kilometres that way?" I asked, pointing south-west. "Yup! And the RainWing village is in that direction. Now, we'll make our way back to the RainWing village in a bit, but first I want to test you on a few things..." Deathbringer took a silver disk out of his pouch again and handed it to me. "Don't throw it yet." He said simply, I watched him grab some red berries from a nearby tree and start painting a target using the juice on a large, grey boulder, which was half covered in moss. "Now hit that target." "But it's a solid rock, this will barely leave a mark in it! It'll probably do more damage to the blade." I argue. "Good! That was a test. When going on an assassination, everything you do matters. Now, name three reasons why throwing a weapon at that rock would be a bad reason." Deathbringer instructed. "It's a waste of weaponry, it would make unnecessary noise and it could leave a mark showing you were there, and it would use up valuable time while you do something which has no use. Why would I even need to throw this at a rock?" "Correct!" The dark NightWing grabbed some more berries from the tree and made a target on a large tree. "Throw." I obliged this time and threw the disk at the trunk. It missed the tree completely hit a neighboring tree, bouncing off it and landing in a thorny bush. "Rabbit brains!" I cursed. "Don't worry, I'll fetch it later. Now, let me adjust your stance." I stood still and allowed him to fix my posture. "Now, here's another, centre your weight and thrust the blade forward." I threw it and this time it hit the right tree, though it landed a few inches above the target. "Why bother with this weapon? Knives and daggers are much easier to kill with." "An assassin must be adaptable. Besides, these are much easier to handle after you get a bit more practise. When you become as awesome as me, you'll see." Deathbringer grinned. "Now lets go back to the village." ---- I followed Deathbringer back to the RainWing village. Before they even stepped into the crowded paths, a small, orange RainWing with beady leaf green eyes ran towards Deathbringer. "Sir, Queen Glory told me to tell you that the dragon guarding the Royal Hatchery told her that the egg is hatching. She also told me to tell you that she wants you to meet her at the Hatchery as soon as possible. " Deathbringer stared at the RainWing, so did I. Then it apparantly sunk in. "Wait what!? I have to go. Grace, I'm about to become a father! This is amazing!" Deathbringer shouted. I was sure that if he was a RainWing, he'd be going bright pink and yellow. "Three moons, congratulations!" I said, as the NightWing swiftly departed. I stood there for a moment, and then looked at the wirey RainWing, who was staring at me awkwardly. "Erm.. bye I guess?" I said to the strange RainWing, and I walked off. Chapter Two ''5018 A.S, The Rainforest Kingdom '' "NO!" I screamed out, terror being the only thing I knew. I sat bolt upright, panting. My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness and oblivion ceased. I began to piece together where I was. I'm sitting in my bed, it is night, I am safe... and I just woke up from a nightmare... ''I blinked a few times ''Oh I'm not in my bed, I'm sitting on the floor of the library. ''I came to the conclusion that I had fallen asleep while reading. "WHO'S THERE!?!" A shrill voice cut through the cold, silent air. I flinched as I felt cold talons grasping my wing. A light flickered on and I found myself staring at the wrinkled, grey face of Silence, the librarian with a name that matched his own hypocritical views perfectly. "Ahh, of course, the hybrid scum..." The elderly NightWing hissed, half to himself. I gulped, ''shoot, this is the end of Grace the RainWing hybrid, goodbye world that seemingly hates me more than everyone else. I thought hopelessly. "Look, I can explain-" "Explain why you broke into my library in the middle of the night? Well, my dear, enlighten me." Silence cut in rather unhelpfully. I just wanted to camouflage my scales and run away. "I didn't break in, I have been here this whole time, I was reading in this public library and fell asleep. I must have been unnoticed when closing hours came." I informed him, hoping I sounded bolder than I actually was. "You fell asleep? Three moons, do you think I'm an idiot? Well, obviously the true idiot here is you. It's a shame your NightWing genetics didn't give you any sort of intelligence, your worthless RainWing blood took over your brain as well as your appearance. I'm ashamed to know that you are related to my tribe." Silence spat. It took every bit of self restraint to not retort. Don't be that stupid RainWing Silence is insinuating you are, he's just trying to make you bite. I told myself firmly. Calmly, I spoke. "Well, I'm extremely sorry sir, I am telling the truth but I'm sure neither of us want to stay awake all night arguing about a pointless mistake. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed, before either of us wake up the whole village." I turned to leave, but before I could go I heard the furious librarian growl, "You are so very like your parents. And look how both of them ended up." What!? "My parents? You knew-" I turned to see the elderly dragon had gone. ---- The next day, I couldn't stop thinking about what had occured last night. Silence knows stuff about my mother and father. I wanted to go ask more, but common sense told me that would bring more complications than it was worth. I went outside, the sun stung my eyes while the breeze ruffled my frill. I saw Deathbringer, with his young daughter Firefly, across the village. Firefly was the only other hybrid in the village, but we had nothing else in common. She had dark, blood red scales, black wings and tail, dark brown eyes, and no frill. Her grey underscales were flecked with odd, glowing pieces of yellow, which was probably where she got her name. The one year old was already shaping into a rather unpleasent dragon, from what I could gather, the princess was a spoiled brat, ready to fight anyone, but if one thing went out of her favour, hello tears. Even though I despised the dragonet, I went over there anyway, I was still friends with Deathbringer afterall. "Hi Grace!" Deathbringer exclaimed happily as he noticed me. "Hi-" "Eww, daddy lets stop talking to this peasent." What a ray of sunshine. I often wondered where Firefly got her vocabulary. "Ouch." I said dully. "Firefly, say that nicer!" The young princess paused for a moment. "Vile, father let us discontinue communicating with this proletariat." Firefly said smugly and insultingly. How did a one year old have such advanced speech? "FIREFLY!" Deathbringer shouted, though he was laughing. "Maybe I should just g-" I began. "Oh no, don't leave, what'd you want?" The dark NightWing asked. "Well, I was thinking maybe ''we could go out into the forest, and you could teach me more assasin skills?" I suggested, hopefully. It'd been a while since I had spent time with Deathbringer, he was always so caught up with Firefly. "Hmm... sorry Grace but I'm gonna have to say no for now... my little moonbeam is a bit of a talonful." Deathbringer looked down fondly at his daughter. "Anyway, last time I saw your skills you were fairly proficient... I don't think you need my help anymore." Deathbringer looked affectionately at Firefly again. I felt a surge of envy go through me. ''Envy? Why am I jealous of Firefly? I thought about all the times I had spent with Deathbringer. He was the closest thing to a father I had. "Oh, okay. That's okay! Umm, I I'll go now. Erm, bye, and thanks." I awkwardly excused myself, deciding to go to the library, hopefully without Silence noticing. If in doubt, go to the library, right? ---- A few days later, it started again. What started again exactly? My life becoming a living hell. Why was it starting again? Because one of those idiot RainWings saw my failed attempts of getting Deathbringer to teach me. "Freak!" "What are you doing, weirdo?" "Can you, like, just die? Please, it would make our lives so much better." I tried to ignore the bullies' jeering, but it was difficult. "Oi, Freak of Darkness, wanna hear our song?" A particularly large, forest green RainWing stepped in my way, I tried to side step, but the b***ard pulled me back by my horns. "Oooh, little Gracie is trying to escape. What a coward." A slim, surprisingly pretty RainWing with swirls of pink and grey scales walked over to the larger bully and intertwined her tail with his. Ahh, of course, these two must be the king and queen of cruelty. "Yeah, don't be rude, we spent ages creating this song for you." He mocked a look of sadness. "If your talent at singing is anything like your intellect, I think I should be worried for my ears." Hmmm, I wasn't that great when it came to sass, but that was probably the best I could've thought of for a situation like that. The two just laughed and looked at the other RainWings that wante to torment me. They started to chant, "Oh, there was a hybrid called Grace, dragons would be blinded from her face, she thought she was smart, with all her heart, but in reality, she was a waste of space! No one would love her, her parents wern't even a murmer, if she were to die, no one would cry, for she was more annoying than a bur!" I slowly and sarcastically clapped. "Wow, that was one great song." I tonelessly muttered. I shifted my scales and made went 'invisible'. Again, the bullies laughed, calling me things like 'coward' and 'spineless'. I didn't really care, to be honest, I just wanted to get home. Chapter Three ''5018 A.S, The Rainforest Kingdom '' Five days later, I found myself with blood on my talons... ---- I was running through the forest. "Stop being such a frigging coward! Face us, face us little freak!" Sureee, I'm the coward, ganging up on a small hybrid like myself is a heroic act... ''My inner voice said sarcastically. At least my inner voice was logical, unlike those imbeciles who wanted to torment me for being different. I continued to run. ''Just camouflage! No, don't camouflage, that's weak. CAMOUFLAGE YOU IDIOT! Well, all these trees would make even the the most skilled struggle to hide... Mind: please stop arguing, I'm trying to escape. Three moons, maybe my inner voice wasn't so logical. "You can't just run from us, Grace, how rude, we just want to play. Tut tut, your mother should've taught you better... oh wait!" 'The queen of cruelty' sneered. Sadness flooded my brain, my focus went fuzzy. Suddenly- "GOTCHA!" A multicoloured blur fell on top of me. I fell to the ground. "Idiot!" I hissed, pushing the RainWing off me. I was swiftly pulled up and held into an armlock. I heard the rest of the bullies thundering through the trees. There they are, the leader and his b***h, and the others. I counted five, not including the leader, his girlfriend, and the dragon holding my arms back. "Hmmm, tough prey, you ran far, we're almost at the NightWing village." The leader mused as he approached me. "Hiya Darkness Freak! I gotta special surprise for you today." "What do you know about prey? We're vegetarian." I said, I could hear the annoyance in my tone. "I don't care about that silly little RainWing stereotype." The bully grinned, I could see the blood staining his yellow teeth. He better not have eaten a sloth... wait, hopefully he ate Glory's sloth, then he'd probably get punished. "So... t-the point of chasing me her-here was...?" I'd like to say I was handling the situation well, but I was stuttering terribly. "We're going to give you to the NightWings, I'm sure they'd like receiving you, Freak of Darkness." One of the other bullies explained. Daft moon scourge. ''I thought, I then started panicking, the NightWings hated me for some reason, they'd flay me alive! I tried to keep calm. "So, c'mon little hybrid scum, come meet your relatives." The leader's girlfriend taunted. "Stop, Pansy, you're provoking it." The leader laughed. I could see hostility growing in the leader's eyes, I desperately tried to struggle my way out of the armlock, but the RainWing holding me seemed to have the strength of a MudWing. I watched as the leader came right up to me. He spat in my face. I felt my scales turn red with anger. I should've seen it coming, but I didn't anticipate the leader punching me in the jaw. I shrieked, pain jolted through my mouth. I felt blood trickling down my chin, in fact, I tasted the sharp taste of it on my tounge, I must have accidentally bitten it with the impact of the bully's talon. I felt them start dragging me away, I was still too dazed from the blow to fight back, and even if I did, they'd probably hurt me more. They took me to a small clearing, and propped me up against a wide oak tree. "We're going to make you wish you were never born..." One of the bullies grunted. I knew I had to do something in my defense, I wasn't weak but my opponents were a large group of agressive RainWings who were a lot bigger than I. I glanced down at the leather pouch on my ankle, it contained a few daggers I had bought from a SkyWing merchant a few years ago. If I aimed carefully I could hit one of the bullies without killing them, and escape in the chaos it would cause. I looked up, calculating who I should use the knife on. Pansy was definitely the smartest, and the cruelest, I would love to stab her, but the leader was the strongest and fastest, he would probably run after me. I made my decision, whipped out a dagger, and threw it at the leader's wing. I watched in horror as Pansy, who must have seen me initially look at my bag, pushed the leader, probably trying to push him out of the way. Of course, he only moved slightly, but that slight movement put him in a much more dangerous position. I watched the blade plunge into his throat. "Mal!" Pansy screeched in an awfully shrill tone. I felt guilt, sorrow, and fear all wash over me at once. ''If he doesn't touch the dagger they might be able to- NOPE! Mal tugged the amethyst hilt away, ripping the embedded dagger out of his flesh. He let out a gurgled scream, scarlet blood gushed out of his neck, slopping out onto his now-white scales, and onto the leafy floor. The idiot had halved the time he had alive by doing that. I tried to rush over and help try preserve Mal's life, but the grief-stricken Pansy ran at me, slashing her claws through the air as she tried to hit me. I turned myself invisible and dashed to the other side of the clearing so Pansy couldn't get me. I stood there for a moment, observing the scene that I had created unfold in front of me. Mal finally fell to the blood-slick fround. His body layed there, twitching for what felt like an age, screaming out for help. With a shudder, he went still quiet. Pansy let out a strangled sob as she rushed over to her beloved. "Don't worry, Pansy, we will get vengeance. Where did that little freak go?" I heard one of the bullies say, his brutal voice cutting over the sobs of Pansy and one of the other RainWings that looked like Mal's brother. I knew that was my cue to run. I'm sorry! My mind screamed. I never wanted this to happen! ''I tried not to think about The rest of Mal's family, who were oblivious of his death, how they'd respond to the news. I tried not to think about all Mal's other friends, his acquaintances, those RainWings who knew him. I tried not to think about the happy future I had ruined for him and Pansy. I tried not to think about Deathbringer, the closest thing I had to I friend and father, what his reaction would be when he discovered what a monster I had become. Of course, I couldn't stop myself thinking these things, remorse crashed through my mind. Chapter Four '5018 A.S, The Rainforest Kingdom ''' As I ran, I heard the bullies shrieking an alarm, probably trying to draw the attention of the NightWings, whose village was nearby. "MURDER! MURDER! HEARTLESS MURDER! HELP!" "Shut up..." I breathed under my breath. I felt the tears springing to my eyes, I held them back. I couldn't cry. I couldn't break down. I needed to hide. I looked around for somewhere to take refuge. Caves... lakes with reeds... burrows... I thought of all the convenient hiding spots I could find in this vast forest, but alas, luck wasn't on my side, all I had was trees. I kept going, hoping my luck would turn around, but I couldn't gamble and waste anymore time, I'd have to make my choice. I came across a group of tall willow trees. It's fanning leaves should help disguise me... I though, as I began to climb up one's knobbly trunk. Balancing precariously on a branch, I calmed myself down. It's okay, it's okay, it was an accident, it was in self defence, you're not a bad dragon. I camouflaged my scales, just in case, and tried to make myself as comfortable as possible. I might have to wait here for a while... ---- After what felt like hours, they came. The NightWings. From the heavy sound of talon steps, I guessed there was five of them. I went as quiet as I could, I even tried not to breathe. A small gap in the canopy allowed me to see the leafy ground, and soon the NightWings came into view. I was close, there was six of them, I soon understood why I didn't pick up on one of them. Deathbringer is always careful about how he walks. I stared down at my mentor, what must he think? Is he ashamed? I realised Deathbringer might not even know it's me, unless the bullies told him. "D'you think they're up one of these trees?" A brutish looking ashy grey NightWing asked. "No, we'd be able to see them, RainWing scales light up like a full moon when they're scared, they can't control it." Deathbringer stated matter-of-factly. "Besides, RainWings are some of the stupidest things in Pyrrhia." Ouch. ''The first NightWing grunted. "Eh, they're also the most peaceful tribe, dopey yes, but not violent. This one is different, could be smart." "''But, even the smartest ones struggle to control their emotions." Deathbringer said, in a 'go with it' way. The first NightWing looked like he was about to continue arguing, before hesitating and saying, "You're probably right, lets keep looking." From the grimace on his broad face, I could tell he was just about done with Deathbringer's arrogant manner. "They probably went to the RainWing Village." One of the smaller NightWings added. "Hmm, probably." I saw Deathbringer's dark eyes flick up to the branch I saw on, before quickly looking back down. Did I imagine it or did he just look at me? As the group of NightWings began to walk on, Deathbringer stayed put. "...Deathbringer? What are you doing?" A dark indigo dragon asked in concern, her bright eyes raised. "Don't you worry, my lovely Darksky." I could hear the flirtatious tones in his voice. This caused the young NightWing to blush. Poor thing has a crush on a taken dragon. I thought, feeling amused yet sympathetic towards Darksky, even though she was helping hunting me down. When she walked off, Deathbringer looked up at the tree, this time obviously at me. "Grace... come down please." He whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. I sighed, how did he know I was there? I let my scales shift back to their original colours and carefully made my way down the tree. "How?" I asked quietly. "Saw your bag." Deathbringer replied, his expression solemn yet woried. I wanted him to wear his usual grin, but I knew now wasn't the time. I looked at my ankle and noticed I was still wearing my leather pouch, dammit. "I-I-" I began. "You feel bad for killing that RainWing? Don't be too hard on yourself, I've seen him, he was a bully, he was trying to hurt you, wasn't he?" I nodded. Deathbringer pulled out a familiar looking knife. It was the one I had used to kill Mal, amethyst hilt and all. I took it, looking at the scarlet-tinted blade in disgust. "I recognised it as your's as soon as I saw it... The RainWings that called us over, his friends, they only told us you were a RainWin, they didn't inform us on your gender, name, or NightWing genetics." Deathbringer explained quickly. I let it sink in, they didn't give away my identity, maybe they-maybe they felt remorse, maybe they felt they owed me and gave me a chance to live my life normally. ''After a few moments silence, I spoke. "What do I do now?" I asked him. He stared at me, his eyes wide and fearful. "You have to escape. Leave the Rainforest Kingdom. I don't know how they'll punish you, but don't risk staying." It may have been just me, but it looked and sounded like Deathbringer had past experience in escaping. "I can't though, my home is here, I can't just run away. I can't just flee from justice!" I exclaimed, quietly of course, I didn't know how near those other NightWings were. "Grace, you're one of the most intelligent dragons I know, nobility will get you nowhere. You have to leave." He was dead serious. "But I-" "Just go!" My appeal to physical gestures of affection was low, I was disliked by so many I rarely had to even smile at them, but Deathbringer was my friend. I hugged him, and to my surprise, he hugged me back. "I love you Deathbringer, platonically of course, I just wanted you to know that. I'll miss you." I whispered. "Stay safe Grace." We broke apart. I smiled sadly and waved goodbye. Just as I was about to depart from my friend, someone leapt in front of me. ''Not again. It was the large NightWing who had argued with Deathbringer just before. He stared at me, I noticed he was blind in his right eye, as it was light blue and cloudy. "Ha, thought you'd be bigger. How'd a scrawny, little dragonet kill someone?" The NightWing sneered. That hurt. "I honestly don't know." I heard myself say in a defeated tone. "Milkytalon, don't do anything necessary..." Deathbringer cautioned behind me. The large dragon, Milkytalon, mocked his tone, before grabbing my neck. "She's gonna be taught what happens to murderers like herself." He hissed spitefully to Deathbringer. I heard the others that were in the group approach, leaves rustling as they stepped towards us. "That's the murderer." One of them scoffed, before someone told them to be quiet. I watched Milkytalon lift his arm up, I closed my eyes, anticipating the blow. He punched me in the forehead. Pain erupted. My ears rung. My head throbbed. I felt myself collapse with a thud. Chapter Five ''5018 A.S, The Rainforest Kingdom '' I opened my eyes, confusion washed over me. Where am I? What happened? Glancing at my surroundings, I noticed the bare wooden walls, the leaf covered floor, the containers filled with berries and herbs. It took me a few moments to notice the two dragons standing immediately to the right of my bed. Bed? Why was I laying in a bed? The closer dragon was a NightWing with sparkling dark eyes. Deathbringer. The other was a beautiful RainWing with scales of blues, greens and peach. She had sharp features, deep green eyes, and was standing rather... proudly, like she had some sort of authority. She stared at me with a slightly cold expression, I wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but the intensity made my neck tingle. I straight away realised who it was, it was Queen Glory. It was that moment when I remembered what happened. I sat up with a jolt, ignoring the swirling giddiness that followed. "Q-Queen Glory... Deathbringer... I need to... need to..." I broke off awkwardly. Glory nodded and gave me what I guessed was a sympathetic glare. "I understand, Grace." She stated. "I've seen how Melaleuca treated multiple young dragons, I even spoke to his mother once, but of course she was blinded by her love for him and therefore, bias. She didn't give a cow's brain about what I was saying." Glory sighed, pressing her claw against her forehead. I supressed laughter, no wonder Mal resorted to bullying, what was his mother thinking when naming him? Anyway, I looked at Deathbringer. "What's going to happen? Am I going to be imprisioned?" It sounded dragonetish, but I needed to know. "Not if I can help." Deathbringer gave me a crooked grin. "There are no scrolls in prision after all- and the current residents would probably rip you limb from limb." I shuddered as I remembered RainWing-hating Fierceteeth, and her mate Strongwings. They had tried to kill Glory, and had been punished multiple times. "Your hearing will take place later today. You must attend." Glory said simply and briskly. "I wish you good luck." She went to walk out the door, waiting for Deathbringer to follow. "See you, Grace." The NightWing said, before following Glory. His words replayed in my mind, I wasn't sure if they were true. ----- I wasn't sure how this hearing would work, of courseI had read about them, but it was the RainWing justice system, moons know what would happen. I found myself sitting in a rather uncomfortable chair, looking up at a few dragons on a stage, occupying much more comfortable looking chairs. In the middle was an elderly RainWing, Grandeur, a former queen of the RainWings. Grandeur resembled Glory, angular features, deep green eyes, and above all, that intense glare that appeared to run in their family. To her right was an anxious looking NightWing, to her left a dark gold RainWing. Towards the edge of the stage was a rather young, scrawny RainWing, who appeared to be a scribe. Behind them was a number of bored looking NightWings and an unfocused RainWing. The hearing was sadly public, so we were surrounded by half the RainWing village, and a couple of NightWings. "Hearing for Grace of RainWings, midspring of 5018 A.S, for a provoked homicidal offense. Judge: Ex-Queen Grandeur of RainWings. Interrogators: Starshine of NightWings, Banana of RainWings. Scribe: Hazel of RainWings. Witness for Defence: Future-King Deathbringer of NightWings." Grandeur said blandly. I looked behind me and saw Deathbringer standing there. Future-King... he's engaged to marry Glory! ''I thought excitedly. He winked at me and gestured for me to turn back around, which I did. After listing the witness (Pansy) and the jury, Grandeur went paused for a moment. "Did you murder Melaleuca?" She questioned. "Y-Yes..." I replied nervously. "What were the circumstances that compelled you to kill him?" The gold RainWing, Banana, asked. "H-He was threatening me. I wanted to escape, I didn't mean to actually ki-kill him." I explained, kind of pathetically. Banana looked at me sceptically. "Witness Pansy of RainWings, please come forth." Grandeur commanded. I saw Pansy walk towards me, staring at me with hatred. She dived straight into a rather bias version of the story, where I was actually the one teasing the bullies, where they were trying to get revenge, where I took it too far and sadistically killed Mal out of bitter evilness. She even broke down in tears towards the end of it, concluding with 'I just want my beloved back, but she stole my one true love and murdered him.'. She was lead away by one of her friends, sobbing. I felt guilt twist my stomach. "Deathbringer, is there anything you would like to say in Grace's defence?" "Yes, Grace was doing it all in self defense. She felt endangered. She felt threatened. If she hadn't done, who knows what Melaleuca would've done to her." Deathbringer, amazing Deathbringer said. ''Thank you. "I'm sorry, but are you insinuating that my son was in the wrong?" A dragon accused from the crowd. I turned and saw a red, black and sky coloured RainWing with a broad snout and wide set eyes. Mal's mother. "In a way, yes I am. He may be dead, but that doesn't clear his name." Deathbringer shifted his wings slightly. "How dare you! My beautiful son had his life brutally ended by this-this freak! This monster!" I felt my frills droop, that hurt. "Madam-" "Be quiet!" The mad look in her eyes scared me, she looked ready to rip my flesh out. "I- I am so sorry for what happened to your son." I whispered to Mal's mother. "Save your breath. You deserve death, you deserve execution." She lunged at me, teeth bared. Deathbringer pushed her back and whispered something I couldn't hear. She suddenly stopped and walked back into the crowd, looking scared. I heard Grandeur speaking once more. "Those in favour of Grace's innocence, raise your talon." A few NightWings, including Starshine, raised their talons. "Those against Grace's innocence." My stomach dropped as almost everyone voted that I was guilth. It was over for me. ''What's going to happen? Execution? ''My mind asked fearfully. "I'm sorry. I tried my best." I heard Deathbringer breathe near my ear. "I hereby sentence Grace to exile. The accused may now go collect her possessions, you will be escorted out of the Rainforest by sundown. ----- Flanked by two burly strangers, I made my way to my hut. I didn't own much. With a green sack full of books, a cloak, some food and water, and my pouch of knives, I was lead to the border. Category:Fanfictions Category:Fanfictions (Incomplete) Category:Fanfictions (Semi-Canon) Category:Content (KittenQueen15) Category:Genre (Adventure) Category:Genre (Tragedy)